She is being held at the juvenile-detention center on a delinquency count of murder.

Girls killing others is rare. In Franklin County, just two other teen girls have been charged
with murder in the past five years, according to court records.

Statewide, only three girls currently are locked up in Department of Youth Services facilities
for “loss of life” offenses — two for involuntary manslaughter and one for reckless homicide. There
are 21 girls total incarcerated statewide for all offenses, or only 4 percent of the Youth Services
population.

Boys deliver lethal violence more often. Last year, eight boys were charged with killing someone
in Franklin County. All except one involved a gun.

Sam Shamansky, Howard’s attorney, told a magistrate yesterday morning that a group of people,
including one with a gun, had confronted Howard at her house. A series of threats had been made to
Howard before that, he said, but he couldn’t specify what they were.

“There has to be some sort of explanation for a knife being wielded at your own home with a
group of angry people in your driveway,” Shamansky said after the hearing. “I can assure you this
is not some unprovoked, malicious, insane attack by an otherwise normal, healthy, well-cared-for
16-year-old.”

He said detectives were given two versions of what the argument was over but couldn’t say
exactly what the issue was, other than it was “very minor.”

“I think it’s a shame for all parties involved,” Holzhauser said.

Howard’s mother, Cathy Howard, said her daughter is a straight-A student who had never been in a
fight. She had just started at Walnut Ridge High School in February, after attending suburban
schools for most of her life.

“All of these people are new friends to her,” she said.

The family of Goodwin, who also went to Walnut Ridge and lived nearby, declined to comment
yesterday.

Shamansky asked that Howard be released on house arrest, but that request was denied by
Magistrate Hanne Jorgensen.

Diane Mueller, interim chief probation officer for Juvenile Court, said more than 40 girls are
under court supervision for assault offenses. Over the past five years, 199 girls were charged in
Juvenile Court with felony assault.

“I think girls are becoming more aggressive, unfortunately,” Mueller said. “This fighting seems
to be kind of a normal thing.”